Guard your identity
Here are a few steps to foil the ID thieves:
Shred everything. And I do mean everything. ID thieves, often fueled by methamphetamine drug addiction, can piece together small bits of junk mail and other information that might seem innocent to you. They can use this to pull credit in your name.
Monitor your credit. Services like Identity Guard and Lifelock are pretty good at securing your credit report and letting you know when something new pops up. But you need to stay on top of it too. Pull your report at least quarterly and note any changes that seem fishy. Dispute anything and everything that seems inaccurate or suspicious.
Create a verbal password at your bank. Most banks are adopting this security measure now, but you can insist that your bank do it now or lose your business. Create a password that you can remember and make sure that the bank asks for it before any withdrawals, wire transfers, check orders, and any personal info is given out. Scammers often call the bank and pretend they are you to get critical bank information. Make sure your bank knows that you want to be password protected and notified of any suspicious activity on your accounts.
Keep your information out of the public eye. Take your name off the mailbox. Turn on ALL of Facebook’s and Google’s privacy settings. Never make your family tree public, thieves can do a lot of damage with your mother’s maiden name. Keep your name out of Who’s Who lists, they are a detailed biography of usually pretty successful people and ID thieves farm them for names.
